Here we come! See you there!
    Hello fine friends! Well, we've dusted off the Airstream, tuned up the Gibson mandolin, and stocked up on tea - it must be time for another tour! This time we are starting out in my dear ole home state of Virginia, moving on to the mushroom fields of Pennsylvania, the high atmosphere of Vermont, and, finally, to one of the friendliest places on Earth, Southern Ontario.
    Nothing would make us happier than to see all of our friends, fans, and families along the way. Traveling ten months of the year means that we find our friendships on the road and that means you!

Click here to download a copy of our latest newsletter!

We hope that you are off to a swell start this year. Billy and I have been enjoying Nashville in January. Aside from writing a few new songs, Billy has been composing and I have been sewing. We enjoy getting into other things now and then and getting a little space from touring. But tomorrow, we will be back on the road and this time around in warm weather. Ahhh! Florida.

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Longing for Heaven is some of the best Southern Music I've heard in a long time – Tom Druckenmiller @ Sing Out

To read this newsletter, please follow this link:  http://tinyurl.com/2aoxzjg

Hey, call us crazy, but we think that's Willie Nelson's Bus next door!

Read all about it and about our upcoming tour here:  http://tinyurl.com/2ezkvw4

Duet partners Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp have brought impressive measures of inspiration, artistry, and austerity in this minimalist collection of old-time ballads, heartsongs, and spirituals.

The focus of Jeni & Billy’s fourth CD, as heard on the lovely Sacred Harp classic title tune, is otherworldly affairs. A standout in this category, along with the title song, is their original, “Father Will You Meet Me In Heaven,” a powerful elegy for Johnny Cash’s older brother, Jack, who was killed in a gruesome childhood accident. The duo’s rendition of “On A Hill Lone And Gray,” inspired by Ralph Stanley, is also heartfelt and moving.

Hankins is the soulful wellspring of this collaboration. Born and raised in Virginia coal country, she brings a writer’s and singer’s finely nuanced ear to the cadences and imagery of her native Appalachia. You can hear this gift on “The Ballad Of Sally Kincaid” and “Cecil Roberts’ Hand.” These originals and others stand proud alongside covers of traditionals such as “Single Girl” and “I Saw A Man At The Close Of The Day.”

Kemp, a gifted multi-instrumentalist with an impressive list of studio and road credentials, also does some of the writing. But his major contribution is framing these songs with austere and subtle acoustic arrangements built on various combinations of guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, harmonica, and occasional fiddle from Shad Cobb. (Jewell Ridge Records, 2126 Yank Rd., Mt. Gilead, NC 27306) 

Bob Allen, Bluegrass Unlimited

Two week of concerts at our favorite summer spots coming up and then off to Ontario. 

Thanks to all of the folks at the UMWA Conference in Las Vegas!

To read the whole kaboodle, click here:  http://tinyurl.com/26eg3tj

Maverick is a top-notch magazine with lots and lots of reviews of roots, folk, country, and bluegrass. They are based in the UK, but the slightly higher cost of a subscription in the US is well worth it.

Jeni & Billy recommended!

Click here to read their starred review of our new CD "Longing for Heaven."

Click here to read our interview in the Birmingham Mail.

Here's a bit of what Andrew Coleman wrote:

JENI Hankins and Billy Kemp, aka Jeni & Billy, draw on Appalachian roots music for their songs of miners, preachers, ramblers, lovers, and plain-living folks. They’ve struck a chord with UK music fans, prompting a second British tour, including a show at Kings Heath’s Kitchen Garden Cafe on Sunday. Jeni answered our questions.

How did the two of you get together? 

I was working on a record called Jewell Ridge Girl when we met. The producer took me to Billy’s recording studio in Maryland. Billy heard my songs and my singing style, I heard him play and sing harmonies, and that was the end of Life A, as we say, and the beginning of Life B. In just a few months, we turned everything upside down to start this duo. A year later, we moved to Nashville and we’ve been living the life of a true love duo ever since. That’s been just over five years now.

Click here to read more.